Laurence G. Miller and Shaun Baesman |
Mono Lake
Morning at Mono Lake, Calif. A microbial community thriving in the hot springs there uses arsenic -- a mineral best known for its toxic properties to other forms of life -- instead of oxygen for photosynthesis, researchers report. The finding strengthens the theory that this strange quality allowed photosynthesis to evolve during the oxygen-free conditions of the early Earth.